Fair Lending Shake-Ups: CFPB Vacates Townstone Settlement, FHFA Ends GSEs' Special Purpose Credit Programs — The Consumer Finance Podcast
Weekly Brief: BoA Sued; SCOTUS Shortlists; Fund Fights Argentina
On August 29, three Democratic senators submitted a letter to FHFA Director Bill Pulte to urge him to prioritize lowering housing costs and expanding access to affordable homeownership. The letter — signed by Sens. Elizabeth...more
On August 29, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio granted summary judgment to Freddie Mac and former executives, ending an investor suit brought by an Ohio state pension fund over alleged...more
Freddie Mac published a Guide Bulletin on Aug. 26 that imposes new requirements on mortgages originated on or after Oct. 1, 2025. These requirements should be familiar to those who also originate Fannie Mae loans....more
What Happened? On July 8, 2025, U.S. Federal Housing Agency (FHFA) announced that lenders will soon be able to use the VantageScore® 4.0 credit model or Classic FICO® via the tri-merge credit report requirement when they...more
As I read through my last commentary on the future of the GSEs and fielded some comments from readers, I realized I glossed over hard questions about how the governmental backstop would work, sort of like envisioning a plane...more
On August 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of a shareholder suit brought by two stockholders. The two plaintiff stockholders held interests in both Fannie Mae and...more
The FHFA has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals for consideration of cryptocurrency as an asset for reserves in their single-family risk assessments, without a conversion to dollars....more
I am joining the hordes occupying the chatter-sphere to opine about what the GSEs should look like, post conservatorship. Having reviewed loads of opinions about the future of the Twins, I’m pretty sure the bar on looking...more
On June 25, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a directive ordering Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals for treating cryptocurrency held on U.S.-regulated exchanges as assets for reserves in...more
What Happened? On June 26, Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) Director William Pulte told Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “government sponsored entities”) to draft policies that would consider a borrower’s cryptocurrency...more
Fannie Mae (1938) and Freddie Mac (1970) were created with the end goal of promoting homeownership across the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), are publicly traded and...more
On April 16, three senators urged the FHFA Inspector General to investigate the agency’s purported noncompliance with federal laws and regulations concerning corporate governance at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sens. Jack Reed...more
Mr. Pulte is now the great poohbah of Fannie and Freddie supervising the Twins from his seat at FHFA and also now acting as chair of their respective boards. What is he going to do (assuming he has any agency here)?...more
In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by Troutman Pepper Locke colleagues Lori Sommerfield and Lane Page to dissect two unexpected fair lending developments under the new Trump...more
In recent days, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte has made it clear that he believes fraud is a rampant problem at FHFA. In a stream of related activities, Pulte has called on the public to report...more
On April 15, ten U.S. Senators sent a letter addressed to Mr. Brian M. Tomney, Inspector General of the FHFA, requesting that the FHFA OIG review recent actions taken by FHFA leadership to overhaul the boards at Fannie Mae...more
“Build-to-rent” means what it sounds like: A builder constructs single-family homes specifically designed for renters. Also known as “build-for-rent,” these communities began in Phoenix during the Great Recession and have...more
To keep you informed of recent activities, below are several of the most significant federal and state events that have influenced the Consumer Financial Services industry over the past week....more
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has taken two significant deregulatory steps affecting its oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs). The agency rescinded a 2024 advisory...more
In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported...more
On March 4, the FHFA ordered both government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to submit stress testing results based on their financial positions as of December 31, 2024, following scenarios issued by the...more
On February 26, several U.S. Senators sent a letter to HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, raising concerns about the Secretary’s role in the potential reprivatization of government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and...more
Freddie Mac published last Thursday an update to the Freddie Mac Guide, which included a discussion of various underwriting, fraud detection and loan document changes. Here's what you need to know...more
The Mortgage Bankers Association hosted its annual Commercial Multifamily Finance Convention and Expo (CREF) in San Diego last week, bringing together industry leaders, experts and professionals. Members of the Krooth &...more
January 23, 2025- The Securities and Exchange Commission has rescinded the interpretive guidance included in Section FF of Topic 5 in the Staff Accounting Bulletin Series entitled "Accounting for Obligations to Safeguard...more